Morning, y’all! Ironically, Labor Day weekend always seems like one of the busiest weekends of the year. A.M. ATL is going to take some time off to recover, so we’ll be back in your inbox Wednesday, Sept. 9.
Let’s get to it.
APALACHEE REMEMBRANCE DAY
Today is the second anniversary of the mass shooting at Apalachee High School, when a student opened fire and killed two other students and two teachers in 2024.
- Gov. Brian Kemp issued a proclamation designating today as Apalachee Remembrance Day in Georgia.
- Victims, families and Barrow County officials joined Kemp at the state Capitol yesterday to honor the lives lost.
“Resiliency in our community runs deep,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said Thursday. “What evil wanted was recognition. We won’t give that evil that. What we want is to remember Christian, Mason, Ms. Irimie and Coach Aspinwall.”
In July, the teenage shooter was sentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to his crimes. His father was also charged and sentenced; a rare instance of a parent being held accountable for their child’s violence.
The AJC’s recent Apalachee coverage:
- A look inside the dark online world that glorifies mass shooters, where the Apalachee shooter was deeply immersed.
- Testimony revealed the extent of his obsession and how his parents enabled it.
- School safety has become a priority in Georgia. Here’s how Georgia Tech provides a model for upgraded safety plans.
- A look at House Bill 268, a set of state school safety policies inspired by Apalachee and signed into law in 2025.
Not signed up yet? What’re you waiting for? Get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning. And keep scrolling for more news.
PFAS AND YOU
A study that could help regulators understand what companies are dumping toxic forever chemicals into America’s waterways has reportedly stalled under the Trump administration.
- The first-of-its-kind survey of hundreds of wastewater treatment plants could help identify sources of PFAS (government name: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a class of toxic chemicals that can stay in the body and lead to serious health conditions.
- From this data, regulators could identify what companies are most responsible for the waste.
- However, the study was submitted to the White House two years ago during the Biden administration and hasn’t been approved.
Why this matters to Georgia
Georgia is the epicenter of a very big PFAS offender: the carpet industry.
AJC’s investigative team recently published a whole series on high levels of PFAS flowing out of Dalton, Georgia, known as the Carpet Capital of the World.
Their work reveals the devastating effects of PFAS from carpet treatments, as well as the frustrating game of accountability hot potato between companies, state regulators, federal agencies and other interest groups.
🔎 AJC INVESTIGATION: Inside the toxic legacy of America’s carpet capital
AN AI NIGHTMARE
The news is definitely not always palatable, but I try to choose stories for A.M. ATL that pass the “cereal test.” (As in, they won’t make you queasy if you’re eating cereal.)
Unfortunately, this one doesn’t pass. But it’s still important.
- A Georgia man was sentenced to 40 years in prison this week after authorities say they discovered a trove of child sex abuse material he created by running normal photographs of victims through generative AI programs.
- The man was a former vendor who stocked drink machines in Gilmer County Schools.
- Prosecutors uncovered images and videos of more than 150 victims, many of whom were reportedly identified as Gilmer County students.
An attorney for some of the victims says she’s glad the judge took the charges so seriously since AI-generated nightmares like this are “rapidly becoming a major issue.”
What’s being done in Georgia
- Legal experts have repeatedly warned that generative AI is far outpacing current legal precedents.
- Recently, a federal appeals judge in Wisconsin ruled AI-generated child sex abuse material is protected under the First Amendment, sending another ripple of concern across the country.
- Georgia does have protections on the books. In 2024, lawmakers passed HB 993, which states the use of AI or computer generation is not a defense from prosecution of sexual exploitation of children laws.
🔎 READ MORE: The case began with a student speaking up
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🗳️ The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office is advising county election officials to continue existing procedures for absentee voting in light of the Trump administration’s looming plans to overhaul mail-in balloting.
✈️ Delta Air Lines is offering employees a $1,000 match of the federal contribution given to eligible Trump Accounts, the administration’s newly launched investment vehicle for children.
🏗️ Gas South Arena’s two-year, $175 million renovation is underway. Aside from a few weeks next summer, the Duluth arena will not shut down or stop hosting large events.
💍 Where are all the ‘lovely wives’? Senior political columnist Patricia Murphy looks at the curious case of missing spouses on the Georgia campaign trail.
SPORTS! DRAGON CON! SPORTS AND DRAGON CON!
What a weekend it will be. If it’s not football, it’s baseball. If it’s not baseball, it’s Dragon Con. And through it all, it’s going to be nastily, nastily hot. Spare a thought for everyone in a Stormtrooper suit.
Some highlights:
- College football season is finally here: Georgia Tech opened the festivities last night with a loss to coach Deion Sanders and Colorado. But Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key remained confident, saying afterward, “I’m still bullish on this team.” The Aflac Kickoff Game is this Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, featuring the Baylor Bears against the Auburn Tigers. In Athens, UGA starts its season against Tennessee State.
- The Braves face their most important games yet: If you’re an “only care about baseball when it really matters” person, it’s time to care! The Braves face the Philadelphia Phillies in a four-game series that will most likely decide which team wins the division and waltzes into the playoffs. The Braves have the edge, but the Phillies are always wily little villains. A look at what’s at stake.
- Dragon Con, my beloved: Downtown is, as we speak, overflowing with orcs, superheroes, fairies, furries, characters from obscure ’80s cartoons and every manner of man and beast for the nation’s largest fan-run convention. It’s always fun to watch the Dragon Con parade, which marches down Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta at 10 a.m. Saturday. Come early, bring a snack.
NEWS BITES
Who has the best fried chicken? The AJC put four contenders to the test
Oh, the joy of being an AJC staffer on food testing day.
Scientists studying cockroach milk win Ig Nobel Prize for quirky science
“So what do you do for work?” “Ummm ...”
British police try to track down theft of 70,000 pints’ worth of Guinness stout
This, after the big Pabst beer theft earlier this week? I smell tomfoolery.
Nvidia to spend $13 billion on open-source platform Hugging Face
Sometimes you have to say, “I don’t know what that means, and I don’t want to.”
ON THIS DATE
Sept. 4, 1988
Dooley opens 25th year with Georgia. Vince Dooley marks the start of his 25th season as University of Georgia football coach with Saturday’s opener against Tennessee. The Bulldogs presented him with a 28-17 victory over the Volunteers, Dooley’s 193rd career win.
Direct any and all “Go Dawgs” to Producer Nicole, a UGA grad.
ONE MORE THING
I would show you my Dragon Con costume, but like any other amateur cosplayer, I will be working on it until the very last minute. Hint: It has lots of feathers and googly eyes.
Heading to DCon? I’ll be there Saturday and Sunday — message me and let me know if you want to say hi!
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.